In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
Coho Salmon [Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]
Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch
Description:Coho are a large salmon that can weigh over 20 pounds. Anadramous, they live in the ocean as well as inland waters. Both ocean and inland salmon are shades of dark blue and green with silvery sides, turning red when spawning. Juvenile coho salmon have sickle shaped anal and dorsal fins that distinguish them from other salmon species.
Life History:Coho travel to small inland coastal streams in September for spawning, usually laying at least one hundred eggs at each spawning site. The eggs incubate from November until around April, and the juveniles (or parr) gradually move to deeper water after hatching. After a year of rearing in fresh water, they typically move to marine waters, where they usually spend two to three years before returning inland to spawn.
Habitat:Live in inland waters as well as coastal waters. Mature coho spend their time in inland fresh water streams for spawning from September until January.
Distribution:Coho salmon are found along the Pacific Ocean coast, from the northern half of the California coast, through Canada, and into Alaska. They are also found in Russian and Japanese coastal waters.
Status:Coho populations are currently listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to factors including urbanization, road construction, water quality degradation, dams, and water diversion.
Resources:California Department of Fish and Game, Fisheries Resources and Species Management- Coho salmon
Prevent the Spread of Aquatic Invasives!
[Copyright: Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers Campaign]
Prevent the transport of nuisance species. Clean all recreational equipment. www.ProtectYourWaters.net
When you leave a body of water:
Remove any visible mud, plants, fish or animals before transporting equipment.
Eliminate water from equipment before transporting.
Clean and dry anything that comes into contact with water (boats, trailers, equipment, clothing, dogs, etc.)
Never release plants, fish or animals into a body of water unless they came out of that body of water.
Fishes of the Pacific Northwest Region
Sockeye Salmon [Photo: Idaho Department of Fish and Game]
Fishes are aquatic vertebrates that have fins, gills and scales. Gills are the part of a fish's respiratory system that provide surface area for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide under water. Fish are thought of as "cold-blooded", or ectotherms, meaning they cannot control their own body temperature; instead, they depend on the temperature of their environment. They can live in fresh or salt water, and have a range of potential diets, being herbivores, carnivores or omnivores.
Contrary to freshwater fish and saltwater fish, anadromous fish migrate between marine and freshwater. Many of these fish, such as salmon, reproduce in freshwater but spend the majority of their adult lives at sea. By associating different habitats with different stages of life, anadromous fish are able to balance salt concentrations between their bodies and their surrounding. The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) was established to promote the conservation of anadromous fish in the North Pacific Ocean. NPAFC works with Canada, Japan, Repbublic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States on a number of different research projects. They focus on seven different species of anadromous fish.
Pacific Northwest Coastal Fishes
Click on the species name to view go to the Species Profile. Select the
to go to the FishBase species page, or click on the
to see the ITIS species report.
Partnerships are a key element of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, a collaborative effort to address a nationwide crisis for fish by addressing the loss and degradation of their habitat. Public and private partnerships developed as part of the NFHAP reflect the locally-driven nature of the Plan. NFHAP partnerships are "self-identified, self-organized, and self-directed communities of interest formed around geographic areas, keystone species, or system types". Visit the NFHAP Fish Habitat Partnerships page to find partnerships in your region through a map, descriptions, and links.
As a federal-level partner, the USGS-NBII houses the data delivery system supporting the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. Find out more about NBII's role in the NFHAP and the data associated with the Plan.
Featured Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Resource
For more information about fishes nationwide, visit the NBII Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (NBII-FAR) web site. There you can find further web resources on fishes and aquatic organisms and the diverse factors affecting aquatic resources nationally.
Kingdom: Animalia
Division: Chordata
Subdivision: Vertebrata
Superclass: Osteichthyes
Mapping Salmon Populations
[Image: State of the Salmon]
Salmon migrate across large geographic areas throughout their lifetimes. State of the Salmon is a non-profit organization that focuses on status and trends of salmon in the North Pacific. The map gallery includes maps of salmon diversity, salmon hatcheries, distribution, and risk of extinction. Also, there is a series of maps illustrating varying scales of salmon ecoregions. Data can be queried, downloaded, and mapped on-line.
The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Program of the U.S. Geological Survey
![Coho Salmon [Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/nbii/20120113023242im_/http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_26793_1863_6810_43/http%3B/cbi-lap7.cbi.cr.usgs.gov%3B7097/publishedcontent/publish/ecological_topics/renewable_energy_project/energy_and_environmentl__coho_salmon/renew_coho_salmon_species_spotlight_for_fisheries_and_aquatic_resources_page_1.jpg)
to go to the FishBase species page, or click on the
to see the ITIS species report.
![NFHAP Come Together Shark [Image: National Fish Habitat Action Plan]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/nbii/20120113023242im_/http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_26218_1863_6810_43/http%3B/cbi-lap7.cbi.cr.usgs.gov%3B7097/publishedcontent/publish/geographic/mountain_prairie/mpin_nfhap_partnerships/mpin_nfhap_partnerships_1.jpg)
